104 LUCY AMONG THE MOUNTAINS,

Comfort. ‘Now, if I only had a slab.” So say-
ing, Comfort began to look around on the shore.

“A slab?” said Lucy; “ what is a slab?”

Lucy had, in fact, never heard of a slab. Com-
fort did not answer her, for she went immediately
away, and began to look about for a slab, Lucy
remaining near the boy.

A slab is the outside piece, which is sawed off
first, when they saw up a log into boards. Of
course, it is round on one side, and flat on the
other. Sometimes, too, it is very irregular in.
shape, on account of the logs not being regular in
form. Slabs generally lie in considerable num-
bers about mills, because they are not of much
value; and then, when the freshets come, they
get washed away, and carried down the stream.
Many of them lodge along the banks, where they
get stopped by the trees, or wedged in among the
rocks; so that they are often found lying along
the shores of such a stream as this was.

By this time, the boy had stopped crying ; and
he took up a slender little pole, which was lying
by his side, and laid it across his lap. Luey
looked at him a moment in silence.

«What is your name, little boy ?” said Lucy.

“George,” said the boy.